Chapter 106 The Court’s Verdict
JOAN COLE’S POV
Lena’s arms were the only thing keeping me from falling apart completely.
I was still resting on her shoulder with my knees pulled to my chest when my phone started vibrating violently on the couch.
Lena gently pulled away and reached for it, but her face changed immediately when she looked at the screen.
“Joan,” she muttered, her voice low and careful.
“It’s spreading.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand.
She sat down beside me again, holding the phone up so that I could see it. The original Pixtagram post had been taken down, but screenshots and reloads were everywhere now. Someone had edited the audio with dramatic music and text overlays that read “Gold digger caught in 4k”.
The comments were now worse than they had been before. Some were now dragging Dave and calling him a simp too.
My chest tightened until I couldn’t breathe again and fresh tears started rolling down my cheeks.
Immediately, Lena set the phone down and pulled me closer again.
“Breathe, Joan. Just breathe with me. In… out… that’s it.”
She rubbed my back in a slow circular motion as she spoke firmly even though I could feel her own anger simmering underneath.
“This isn’t about you, girl. This is about them needing a villain.”
I couldn’t speak.
So, I just continued crying.
I didn’t understand why I had to live such a difficult life.
Lena held me tighter as I cried louder.
“What if Dave sees all of this?” I whispered, still crying.
“He’s already hurting because of me. Now his name is being dragged through the mud too.”
“I’m sure he would understand,” she replied, still patting my back.
ALEX HART’S POV
I was sitting in the dark again with the only light in the room coming from my laptop.
I had been scrolling through the news about my company when I stumbled upon a post about Joan.
I clicked it and heard a voice recording.
My breath caught.
The comments below the post were awful.
I stared at the screen, unable to look away.
When the recording ended and started replaying, I heard the sentence where she said she wasn’t emotionally ready for another relationship.
Then it hit me that she might have probably ended things with Dave because she was still thinking about me.
She was hurting because of me again and the realization struck me like a wave of emotions.
I closed the laptop and sat back in the darkness, my heart pounding.
The woman I had never stopped loving had just had her private pain turned into a public entertainment.
And I was the reason.
I stood up, pacing the room with my fists clenched at my sides.
I wanted to call her and tell her I was sorry and that none of that was her fault, but what right did I have?
I had let her go.
I had chosen a stupid duty over her and I had let my mother, Cassandra, and Marcus destroy everything around me.
Now she was paying the price for the feelings she had for me.
But the worst part was that, deep down, a part of me was relieved that they had broken up.
I thought that if she was still stuck on me, I might not be completely alone after all.
But that thought made me feel even more ashamed of myself.
Just at that moment, an email popped up on my laptop screen.
It was an email from my lawyer reminding me about the upcoming hearing the next day.
My attention was diverted for a while, then I opened the post again and reported it.
“I just hope she’s fine,” I muttered to myself and stared blankly at the ceiling.
The next morning, I arrived at the court with my lawyer.
I sat in the same seat on the prosecution side, my hands resting on my thighs so that no one would see them shaking.
The courtroom was packed tighter than before.
There were more reporters, more curious industry people, and more faces I recognized from old business events.
Marcus sat at the defense table again while his lawyer shuffled papers with practiced calm.
I was scared because Richard Lang had never lost a case.
Also, if Cassandra didn’t show up it would reduce my chance of winning the case.
Not long after, the side door opened and Cassandra was led in.
My eyes flicked to where Marcus was seated and I saw his composure slip for a second.
She wore a simple black dress, and her hair was pulled neatly to the back with no makeup. She looked smaller, more fragile and her tummy was now bigger. The bailiff removed her handcuffs and she took the witness stand.
I felt a knot tighten in my stomach.
This was the moment I feared and it was also the moment I needed.
“You may begin,” the judge nodded toward the prosecutor.
“Ms. Cassandra,” the prosecutor said as he stood.
“You are here today as a cooperating witness. Can you tell the court in your own words what your relationship with Marcus Reeds was and what role you played in the events concerning Harts & Associates?”
Cassandra took a slow breath, her eyes flicking to me for a brief second before moving to the judge.
“I met Marcus Reeds about two and a half years ago,” she started, her voice soft but firm.
“We became lovers. He told me he wanted control of the company. He said Alex was weak, that he didn’t deserve what he had built. Marcus promised me that if I helped him, he would marry me and take me away from everything. He said we would run the company together.”
Everybody in the courtroom murmured.
When the murmurs stopped, she continued.
“He asked me to get close to Alex, seduce him, and make him believe the baby was his. He even helped me approach Evelyn Hart so that she would push the relationship. Once I was living in Alex’s house, he told me to photograph every document I could find, so that he would use it to force a takeover or sell them.”
“Objection, my lord. This is hearsay,” Marcus’s lawyer said as he stood immediately.
“Objection overruled,” the judge replied, raising a hand.
“Continue, Miss Cassandra,” he added.
Cassandra looked down at her hands for a moment, then lifted her chin.
“I did what he asked. I took photos in the study when Alex was asleep or at work. He used some of them to scare off clients. He moved money through shell accounts I helped set up. When Alex started suspecting something, he told me to use the pregnancy to keep him distracted and to faint if necessary.”
Then her voice wavered slightly.
“I believed him. I thought he loved me. But when Alex caught me and threw me out, Marcus told me I was just a pawn and that the baby changed nothing. He shut the door in my face while another woman was inside the apartment.”
Silence filled the room.
“And the baby Miss Cassandra?” the judge spoke gently.
Cassandra’s eyes were filled with tears, but she didn’t let them fall.
“The baby is Marcus’s. He knew that from the beginning.”
Everybody murmured again.
I looked at Marcus, his eyes remained blank but his jaw looked tight.
“Did Marcus Reeds ever admit to you that he was behind the financial thefts and client losses?” the prosecutor continued.
“Yes. He said the goal was to make Alex desperate enough to sell or lose control. He wanted the company for himself.”
“Your honor,” Lang stood again.
“This witness is clearly bitter and unreliable. She has every reason to lie to reduce her own charges.”
The judge looked at Cassandra.
“Miss Cassandra, do you understand you are under oath?”
“I do,” she answered.
“I’m telling the truth. I was stupid but I’m done protecting him.”
She turned and looked straight at Marcus for the first time.
“You promised me everything,” she muttered, her voice low but clear enough for the whole room to hear.
“You promised me a life, then you threw me away like I was nothing… I hope you rot for what you did to both of us.”
Marcus didn’t flinch, but I saw the flash of rage in his eyes.
People in the room started whispering again, but the judge called for order.
I sat there, my heart racing.
For the first time in months, I felt something close to justice, but I fear I might not get it.
“Having considered the evidence… This is the court’s verdict,” the judge said.
And my heart started beating fast again.
The next words were going to determine my fate.